Here Comes the Mayor

So there we are then. The race to become London mayor was closer than some predicted, and longer than anyone wanted. But before anyone takes too much encouragement from their results, it's worth bearing in mind just how low the turnout is.

These are the first preference votes recorded by the candidates of the three main parties in the four mayoral elections, expressed as percentages of the registered electorate:

(Incidentally, I do know that Ken Livingstone was an independent in 2000, but let's be kind and look over the sad case of Frank Dobson.)

None of it is much of a ringing endorsement. It's also worth bearing in mind that there are a huge number of people living in London who aren't registered to vote in the first place.

Perhaps it's not too surprising that - with the exception of Bristol - all the other cities who were asked yesterday whether they too wanted a mayor decided that, no, on balance, they'd rather not bother.